Mixture toxicity and gene inductions: can we predict the outcome?

Transcriptome-Wide Prediction and Measurement of Combined Effects Induced by Chemical Mixture Exposure in Zebrafish Embryos

BACKGROUND

Humans and environmental organisms are constantly exposed to complex mixtures of chemicals. Extending our knowledge about the combined effects of chemicals is thus essential for assessing the potential consequences of these exposures. In this context, comprehensive molecular readouts as retrieved by omics techniques are advancing our understanding of the diversity of effects upon chemical exposure. This is especially true for effects induced by chemical concentrations that do not instantaneously lead to mortality, as is commonly the case for environmental exposures. However, omics profiles induced by chemical exposures have rarely been systematically considered in mixture contexts.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we aimed to investigate the predictability of chemical mixture effects on the whole-transcriptome scale.

METHODS

We predicted and measured the toxicogenomic effects of a synthetic mixture on zebrafish embryos. The mixture contained the compounds diuron, diclofenac, and naproxen. To predict concentration- and time-resolved whole-transcriptome responses to the mixture exposure, we adopted the mixture concept of concentration addition. Predictions were based on the transcriptome profiles obtained for the individual mixture components in a previous study. Finally, concentration- and time-resolved mixture exposures and subsequent toxicogenomic measurements were performed and the results were compared with the predictions.

RESULTS

This comparison of the predictions with the observations showed that the concept of concentration addition provided reasonable estimates for the effects induced by the mixture exposure on the whole transcriptome. Although nonadditive effects were observed only occasionally, combined, that is, multicomponent-driven, effects were found for mixture components with anticipated similar, as well as dissimilar, modes of action.

DISCUSSION

Overall, this study demonstrates that using a concentration- and time-resolved approach, the occurrence and size of combined effects of chemicals may be predicted at the whole-transcriptome scale. This allows improving effect assessment of mixture exposures on the molecular scale that might not only be of relevance in terms of risk assessment but also for pharmacological applications. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7773.

Transcriptional responses in male Japanese medaka exposed to antiandrogens and antiandrogen/androgen mixtures

The occurrence of androgenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in water is thought to be linked to deviation from normal male developmental and reproductive functions in exposed aquatic organisms. Because aquatic environments represent a chemically complex medium, the combined effects of androgenic EDCs require urgent attention. In the present study, the effects of two model androgen receptor (AR) antagonists, flutamide (FLU), and vinclozolin (VIN), were first determined individually in male Japanese medaka using the transcriptional response for genes associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The fish were further exposed to binary mixtures of VIN and 17β-trenbolone (TRE, AR agonist) to confirm the theoretical opposing effects of the AR antagonist and agonist. The results showed that exposure to FLU or VIN alone induced very similar transcriptional responses, demonstrating that gene transcription analysis could be successfully employed in identifying the action of single chemicals. For example, both exposures increased the transcription of cyp17b but decreased that of cyp19b in the gonad, demonstrating the compensatory response for AR blockage. However, in the case of exposure to mixtures, although the joint antagonistic action of TRE and VIN affected the most genes, the transcription profiles after exposure to mixtures were not consistent with expectations based on the results for individual chemicals, such as hepatic vtg, and star or cyp19a in gonads. Therefore, the limitation of gene transcription analyses in exposures to mixtures, as well as the potential for the extrapolation of single chemicals, should be considered in future studies. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1591-1599, 2016.

Bridging environmental mixtures and toxic effects

Biological Response Indicator Devices Gauging Environmental Stressors (BRIDGES) is a bioanalytical tool that combines passive sampling with the embryonic zebrafish developmental toxicity bioassay to provide a quantitative measure of the toxicity of bioavailable complex mixtures. Passive sampling devices (PSDs), which sequester and concentrate bioavailable organic contaminants from the environment, were deployed in the Willamette and Columbia Rivers within and outside of the Portland Harbor Superfund site in Portland, OR, USA. Six sampling events were conducted in the summer and fall of 2009 and 2010. Passive sampling device extracts were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds and screened for 1,201 chemicals of concern using deconvolution-reporting software. The developmental toxicity of the extracts was analyzed using the embryonic zebrafish bioassay. The BRIDGES tool provided site-specific, temporally resolved information about environmental contaminant mixtures and their toxicity. Multivariate modeling approaches were applied to paired chemical and toxic effects data sets to help unravel chemistry-toxicity associations. Modeling elucidated spatial and temporal trends in PAH concentrations and the toxicity of the samples and identified a subset of PAH analytes that were the most highly correlated with observed toxicity. Although the present study highlights the complexity of discerning specific bioactive compounds in complex mixtures, it demonstrates methods for associating toxic effects with chemical characteristics of environmental samples.

Mixture toxicity revisited from a toxicogenomic perspective

The advent of new genomic techniques has raised expectations that central questions of mixture toxicology such as for mechanisms of low dose interactions can now be answered. This review provides an overview on experimental studies from the past decade that address diagnostic and/or mechanistic questions regarding the combined effects of chemical mixtures using toxicogenomic techniques. From 2002 to 2011, 41 studies were published with a focus on mixture toxicity assessment. Primarily multiplexed quantification of gene transcripts was performed, though metabolomic and proteomic analysis of joint exposures have also been undertaken. It is now standard to explicitly state criteria for selecting concentrations and provide insight into data transformation and statistical treatment with respect to minimizing sources of undue variability. Bioinformatic analysis of toxicogenomic data, by contrast, is still a field with diverse and rapidly evolving tools. The reported combined effect assessments are discussed in the light of established toxicological dose-response and mixture toxicity models. Receptor-based assays seem to be the most advanced toward establishing quantitative relationships between exposure and biological responses. Often transcriptomic responses are discussed based on the presence or absence of signals, where the interpretation may remain ambiguous due to methodological problems. The majority of mixture studies design their studies to compare the recorded mixture outcome against responses for individual components only. This stands in stark contrast to our existing understanding of joint biological activity at the levels of chemical target interactions and apical combined effects. By joining established mixture effect models with toxicokinetic and -dynamic thinking, we suggest a conceptual framework that may help to overcome the current limitation of providing mainly anecdotal evidence on mixture effects. To achieve this we suggest (i) to design studies to establish quantitative relationships between dose and time dependency of responses and (ii) to adopt mixture toxicity models. Moreover, (iii) utilization of novel bioinformatic tools and (iv) stress response concepts could be productive to translate multiple responses into hypotheses on the relationships between general stress and specific toxicity reactions of organisms.

Proteomic analysis of a model fish species exposed to individual pesticides and a binary mixture

Pesticides are nearly ubiquitous in surface waters of the United States, where they often are found as mixtures. The molecular mechanisms underlying the toxic effects of sub-lethal exposure to pesticides as both individual and mixtures are unclear. The current work aims to identify and compare differentially expressed proteins in brains of male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed for 72 h to permethrin (7.5 μg/L), terbufos (57.5 μg/L) and a binary mixture of both. Twenty-four proteins were found to be differentially expressed among all three treatments relative to the control using an ANOVA followed by a Dunnett's post hoc test (p ≤0.05). One protein was found to be differentially expressed among all treatment groups and one protein was in common between the terbufos and the mixture group. Fifteen spots were successfully sequenced using LC-MS/MS sequencing. Proteins associated with the ubiquitin-proteasome system, glycolysis, the cytoskeleton and hypoxia were enriched. As a second objective, we attempted to establish protein expression signatures (PES) for individual permethrin and terbufos exposures. We were unable to generate a useable PES for terbufos; however, the permethrin PES was able to distinguish between control and permethrin-exposed individuals in an independent experiment with an accuracy of 87.5%. This PES also accurately classified permethrin exposed individuals when the exposure occurred as part of a mixture. The identification of proteins differentially expressed as a result of pesticide exposure represent a step forward in the understanding of mechanisms of toxicity of permethrin and terbufos. They also allow a comparison of molecular responses of the binary mixture to single exposures. The permethrin PES is the first step in establishing a method to determine exposures in real-world scenarios.

Transcriptomic signatures in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as Cd biomarkers in metal mixtures

In the natural environment, toxicant effects can be monitored by the signature mRNA expression patterns of genes that they generate in test organisms. The specificity and sensitivity of these transcriptome-based bioassays to a given toxicant can be confounded by temporal changes in biomarker mRNA expression, effects of other toxicants and hardness ions, and non-linear mRNA expression responses of genes. This study provides the foundation for the development of a transcriptomic-based bioassay for bioavailable Cd in the freshwater alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It characterizes: (1) the Cd regulation of nine genes with respect to their mRNA induction kinetics; (2) the effects of two additional metals common to freshwaters, Cu2+ and Pb2+, and (3) the relationships between metal bioaccumulation and the transcriptomic responses. Quantitative real time PCR was used to monitor mRNA levels of nine Cd-induced genes following an exposure to 0.01, 0.11 and 1.16 μM Cd2+. Several distinct mRNA expression patterns were observed with time. While the presence of Cu2+ and Pb2+ decreased Cd biouptake, mRNA levels increased for six genes, showing lack of Cd2+ specificity. Nonetheless, the transcriptomic effects of binary metal exposures rarely adhered to a simple additive model based on single metal exposures; rather most exhibited synergistic or antagonistic interactions. While none of these genes could be used as a specific Cd biomarker, the signature mRNA expression profile obtained from a select subset of Cd sensitive genes was a useful biomarker of sublethal effects.

Escherichia coli as a bioreporter in ecotoxicology

Ecotoxicological assessment relies to a large extent on the information gathered with surrogate species and the extrapolation of test results across species and different levels of biological organisation. Bacteria have long been used as a bioreporter for genotoxic testing and general toxicity. Today, it is clear that bacteria have the potential for screening of other toxicological endpoints. Escherichia coli has been studied for years; in-depth knowledge of its biochemistry and genetics makes it the most proficient prokaryote for the development of new toxicological assays. Several assays have been designed with E. coli as a bioreporter, and the recent trend to develop novel, better advanced reporters makes bioreporter development one of the most dynamic in ecotoxicology. Based on in-depth knowledge of E. coli, new assays are being developed or existing ones redesigned, thanks to the availability of new reporter genes and new or improved substrates. The technological evolution towards easier and more sensitive detection of different gene products is another important aspect. Often, this requires the redesign of the bacterium to make it compatible with the novel measuring tests. Recent advances in surface chemistry and nanoelectronics open the perspective for advanced reporter based on novel measuring platforms and with an online potential. In this article, we will discuss the use of E. coli-based bioreporters in ecotoxicological applications as well as some innovative sensors awaited for the future.

Exploiting lipid-free tubing passive samplers and embryonic zebrafish to link site specific contaminant mixtures to biological responses

The Biological Response Indicator Devices Gauging Environmental Stressors (BRIDGES) bio-analytical tool was developed in response to the need for a quantitative technology for assessing the toxicity of environmentally relevant contaminant mixtures. This tool combines passive samplers with the embryonic zebrafish model. When applied in an urban river it effectively linked site specific, bioavailable contaminant mixtures to multiple biological responses. Embryonic zebrafish exposed to extracts from lipid-free passive samplers that were deployed at five locations, within and outside of the Portland Harbor Superfund Megasite, displayed different responses. Six of the eighteen biological responses observed in 941 exposed zebrafish were significantly different between sites. This demonstrates the sensitivity of the bio-analytical tool for detecting spatially distinct toxicity in aquatic systems; bridging environmental exposure to biological response.